The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-08-17
Scenes in Holland.

Scenes in Holland.
An afternoon can we'll be spent at
Delft, only few miles from the Hague,
and a delightful drive, or by steam or
horse-cars. Your correspondent started
for the station to go to Delft few days
since, but to my surprise instead of
being dropped at the station we were
taken on further, and all got into
Dutch coach, with room for fourteen
persons, and proceeded in this way to
Delft; then, when the coach stopped
in the town, they had car there and
wanted me to 90 still further, but |
commenced there my exploration of
the city, and found the usual number
of canals, but everything in houses
very quaint and interesting. 1t is so
curious to see people living so entirely
unlike ourselves, yet all SO natural
to them, clanking along in their big
wooden shoes, wheeling their small
carts about with almost everything on
them, and using dogs as freely as they
do. The houses are very queer IN
Delft, and it seems strange to walk on
one side of narrow canal while on
the other, close down to the water, are
doors and windows of small houses,
where the market boats can come
and sell their produce without much
trouble. l easily found the ancient town
hall and what is called "The War
Church, I" built about two hundred years
ago. The old Delft pottery works are
hardly worth visit. A few articles are
shown in the show-rooms, and then we
were taken to see the finished dishes
and vases and plaques, as they were
being painted by excellent artists, some
of them being mere boys. There is
upon the walls very good display of
old Delft, which, however, looks very
coarse. 1t is exhibited in the shop
windows of the Hague in great variety
of forms, and has large sale, l believe.
Harlem is only nineteen miles beyond
Leyden, and is interesting as a very
old Dutch town-one of those which
sustained very severe siege in 1878.
The city bears many marks of its great
antiquity in its narrow streets; and its
old church of st. Baron, with its high,
square tower, is well worth a visit,
especially if one can be there on Tues
day or Thursday from one to two to
hear the great organ played-its sweet
ness and general harmony of tone being
considered superior to almost any
other. For long time it was considered
the largest in Europe, it having 5000
pipes and sixty stops, but Others are as
large and fine now. Just outside the
church is the statue of Costor Law
renee, who is believed, in Holland at
least, to have been the inventor of
printing. Harlem possesses a type
foundry. famous for Hebrew and Greek
types cast in it. But its great boast
is of its bulbs and flowers, where
they are seen not only in gardens
but in fields of acres, and, indeed,
in many hundred acres. Gambling
in these was carried on to such an
extent in a former century that 81 900
has been paid for single bulb-tulip.
Men traded in them as they do in
stocks now. One producer exports
now each year 300, 900 crocuses, 200, 900
tulips, 100000 hyacinths and about
100000 other varieties. If one is here
at the right season there can be no
prettier sight than the fields of hya-
cinths and tulips. In the park, which
is rather wild wood is pretty pavil-
ion, which was occupied by Napoleon's
brother, King Louis, but is now the
property of the King of Holland, and
has fine picture gallery, which is inter
esting to visit if one stays over night.
Harlem probably attracts less travellers
than most of the other cities, but all
these quaint places have some peculiar
charms, and an hour or two spent
where one does not want to spare a
night repays one well. We came next
to Leyden, where we have spent to,
day, and could spend a week pleasure.
ably, there is such a field for study in
every narrow street and every canal
be it wide or narrow, from the women
kneeling on boards and washing in the
canals to the bulky boats drawn by q
boy harnessed about his shoulders and
pulling the long rope at his back, while
just before him dog, also harnessed
is pulling to aid him, the boat looking
of size enough to require steam en-
CINE to pull it. l don't think they be.
lieve in cruelty to animal or children
societies here, as lady from Maine
does who sat in the station at Rotter
dam with us. When a small, homely
dog came in, she said: Amt you glad
uOSSy, tuuJ YOU WcIc uOJ JUN plS, ioi
the big dogs here have to earn then
daily bread?" They pull under the
market carts, having little harnesses
attached to the frame, and the womer
do the rest of the pulling. AT Leyder
the museum of minerals is richer thar
will be seen anywhere else, and there
are many curious portraits of the ole
leaders and rulers, and th5 ancien
town hall is fine monument of thu
past. If one wanders about the modern
streets it is disappointment as it is a
the Hague. We want to see more tina
looks aged, and it takes but little
while to find plenty to speak to us o
old age. We can fairly revel in it if w
will, and spend hours among the ode
sights and scenes and little shops. w,
walk along as though attending to on
own business, while in fact we are
quizzing theirs-and very seldom, ever
when alone, does stranger receive
any notice or insult, even in the Jew
nuartars where thew are nroverhiall,